


Not Alone

by flowersforgraves



Series: hc_bingo round 8 [2]
Category: Stargate Universe
Genre: Community: hc_bingo, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-31
Updated: 2017-12-31
Packaged: 2019-02-25 21:54:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13222008
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flowersforgraves/pseuds/flowersforgraves
Summary: In which TJ needs some help coping with the news about her ALS.prompt: major illness / injury





	Not Alone

TJ doesn’t like to let other people see her cry. The last person she’d cried in front of was Colonel Young, and that was pretty much involuntary. So Vanessa knows it’s a sign of trust when TJ shows up at her quarters with her face streaked with tears.

“Oh, my God, TJ,” she says. “Come in, sit down.”

TJ braces her hand against the wall. “I’m sorry,” she says shakily.

“Hey,” Vanessa says. “What’s going on?”

TJ opens her mouth like she’s about to say something, but nothing comes out except an aborted sob, a hiccuping breath. “I -- I don’t know what to do,” she finally says. 

Vanessa wraps her in a hug. “Hey, hey, you’re okay. Just breathe, yeah?”

TJ’s arms come up and her fingers dig into Vanessa’s shoulders so hard she’ll probably have bruises tomorrow. “Yeah,” she says. “I. I guess you’ve heard. About my -- about the ALS.”

Vanessa starts rubbing circles on TJ’s back. “Not details,” she says. “Colonel Young only told me because he, uh, knows about us.”

She tucks her face into the crook of Vanessa’s neck. “I’m sorry,” she says. “I’m so sorry.”

“Hey, no,” Vanessa says. “Don’t you go apologize to me. There’s nothing to be sorry for.”

“I shouldn’t be crying like this,” TJ says, wiping fruitlessly at her eyes. “I’m getting you all wet.”

“You do that all the time, though,” Vanessa says before she can stop herself.

TJ gasps, laughs, and it quickly turns into a cough. “I love you, Vanessa.” She presses a quick kiss to the side of Vanessa’s neck.

She smiles into TJ’s hair. “I love you too, TJ. And, you know, Eli’s real smart. He’ll be able to figure something out to help you. Now that you know about it, we can focus on finding a cure, or a treatment, or something.”

“I wish I could believe that,” TJ says. “But… it’s hard to believe anything good will come out of any of this.”

Vanessa frowns. “You know, I hate to do this, but I’m going to tell you what Rush said to me and Greer once. He said that we’re here for a reason, and that it’s got to be worse before it gets better.”

“Cliches,” TJ says. “Doesn’t sound like Rush.”

“I was surprised too,” Vanessa agrees. “But he said it, and Greer and I keep quoting it at each other. It… helps, I guess, to know that even he believes things are happening for a reason. Mister Math himself, believing in a higher power? Less far-fetched than we all thought, I guess.”

TJ gives a watery chuckle. “I guess,” she says. “I mean, it’s not like there’s anything better to believe in.”

Vanessa pulls back to look her lover in the eyes. “TJ,” she says. “Tamara. No matter what happens, I’m going to be here. Okay? I’m not going anywhere. You’re gonna have to try harder than that to get rid of me.”

TJ leans her forehead against Vanessa’s. “Yeah,” she says. “Okay.”


End file.
